The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

"Adrasil, son of Prince Angelimir of Amros and the future heir to the throne, greets King Roland!" Adrasil bowed to Roland from horseback.

Thanks to Horfa's reminder and the prominent royal banner behind Roland, Adrahir easily identified Roland's identity.

"No need for formalities! Friends from afar! I am Roland, the King of Lagrang, the Lord of Swiftstream City and Lulong Fortress!" Roland returned the greeting with a pat on his chest, while also uttering an outrageously long title.

"Greetings, King Roland. I have come here on my father's orders, hoping that our two countries..." Adrahir, still young and impetuous, blurted out the purpose of his trip.

"This is not the place to talk. Please come with me into the castle!" Roland was not in a hurry and instead invited Adrahir into the city for a detailed discussion.

“This is a gift that my father carefully prepared for you!” Adelahil respectfully handed over a gift list.

"Thank you for your kind words. Please thank Prince Angelimir, whom I have never met, and wish him good health!" Roland said to Adrahir after casually glancing at the gift list. After all, it was nothing special, just a very standard gift list. Although it was expensive, it was not enough to move Roland.

Because Roland's system shop was suddenly blocked, he can no longer exchange money for wealth points. These expensive gems and gifts can only be used as decorations or for alchemy.

After several conversations, Roland also understood a few things from Adrasir's words. First, the current Prince of Amros, Angelimir, was very optimistic about the alliance with him, otherwise he would not have sent his son to handle the matter personally. Moreover, Adrasir's attitude was very humble and did not seem like that of a leader of a powerful kingdom.

"Lord Adrahir, may I ask what has happened that made your father, Prince Angelimir, so eager to find allies?" Roland asked immediately after the group was seated in the castle.

"Could it be that you intend to overthrow the Regent's rule?" Roland's eyes widened. For a powerful nobleman to be reduced to needing to seek allies abroad meant either his family was on the verge of collapse or he was planning something big!

It's obvious that House Amuros hasn't reached the point of starvation yet, which makes it even more obvious that Prince Angelimir, seemingly unremarkable in Middle-earth history, is planning something big. Roland asked himself, what could possibly motivate House Amuros, the leading noble family of Gondor, to undertake something that requires allies, other than a change of dynasty?

"...Are you misunderstanding something?" Adrahir's lips twitched; he was truly astonished by King Roland's head.

“Our Amlos family has been loyal for generations! You can’t just say things like that!” Adrahir hurriedly waved his hands and said.

“Well, I misunderstood. But I really can’t see why a princely family like yours would need to seek external allies…” Roland raised an eyebrow.

Now Roland's head is bigger than his body. He realizes that he may not be able to wait for the War of the Ring and will have to fight for the throne with the human kingdom of Gondor ahead of time. Aragorn... if I take action, you will really have no chance to become king of Gondor.

"You're joking. Our Prince Amros family would never do such an unjust thing. As for why we need allies, I'll explain it to you!" Adelahil stared at Roland with a dark face. It was clear that Roland's words had displeased Adelahil greatly. After all, who would give you a good look if they sat next to you and kept pointing at you and saying you were going to rebel? If he weren't outmatched, he probably would have been slapped in the face long ago.

"Are you familiar with the situation in the South?" Adrahir suddenly asked Roland before explaining why.

"Ha!" Roland sneered, then shook his head with a mocking laugh.

"A bunch of sycophantic nobles! A brief period of peace has made them forget the sharpness of their enemies' swords! And even more so, it has made them forget their own enemies!" "Well said!" Adrahir slammed his hand on the table, startling Adolf Heinrich, who was watching the show, so much that he threw the blanket he was holding away.

"Sorry!" Adolf Heinrich picked up the cup and slipped out.

“Since you know the situation, I won’t say any more. The corruption of the nobility is more terrifying than you have seen. Apart from a few powerful nobles who can remain untainted, the rest of the nobles in the kingdom are basically…” Adrahir sighed, a hint of pessimism in his eyes.

"Have they all given up on themselves? Are they living a life of debauchery? And even ignoring the constant provocations of the orcs?" Roland added from the side.

"Ah, yes, yes, that's it!" Roland's words struck a chord with Adelahil; it was exactly what he wanted to say.

"It's alright, Rohan isn't much better off than you!" Roland patted him to comfort him.

"..." Adrahir revealed a smile that was more like a grimace. As expected of the King of the North, even his unique way of comforting others was quite different!

“My father felt that things would inevitably run into problems if things continued this way, so he wanted to find a way out for the kingdom!” Adrahir said firmly.

“Well, because the nobles of the Kingdom of Rohan are almost entirely ruined, and with the increasing friction between the two countries, Prince Angelimir looks down on the Rohan people or dares not rely on them, so you have turned your attention to the only place with strong martial spirit in the North?” Roland’s voice was playful.

“Yes!” Adelashir, being an honest man, nodded in agreement.

"Why does your father think that the North will get involved in this mess again, just like before? After all, this is a matter for the South, and the Northern humans are too busy taking care of themselves!" Roland said calmly.

Because the people of the North historically lived a truly miserable life, yet in the final War of the Ring, they still paid an unimaginable price for the people of Middle-earth! The world only knows that a few hobbits bravely stormed Mount Doom during the War of the Ring, and fought a desperate battle against the Orc army beneath the White City of Gondor and Rohan. But how many know that the true War of the Ring actually had two main battlefields? The Twins of Lone Mountain faced an overwhelming horde of Orcs and fought to the very end. The survivors of the Lone Mountain Expedition, King Dain the Ironfoot and King Brand, grandson of Bard, both perished decades later at the gates of Irubor…

“My father said you are knights of the North!” Adrahir looked at Roland with sincere eyes.

"Pfft!" Roland suddenly laughed. He picked up the silver wine glass and played with it for a moment. Then, with one hand, he squeezed the hard wine glass and molded it into Roland's shape.

Knights of the North... What a noble phrase. The knights of the North could never have imagined that after they marched south, these people who had been guarding the North would have to shoulder such a heavy burden of life on their frail shoulders.
“I am not Rohan! Nor am I a knight of passion. I am the King of the North! I must consider the people of the North. A mere title of Knight of the North cannot sway me.” Roland calmly looked at Adrasir, completely unmoved by the “high hat” of a Knight of the North. Rohan had not failed the High King of Gondor, but they had failed the people of the North.

“You understand the principle of ‘if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold,’ after all, the North and the South are of the same lineage,” Adelashir said weakly after a long pause.

"So that's why while you guys are having a good time, I'm stuck in this freezing North playing Candy Crush with orcs!" A cold glint flashed in Roland's eyes.